Salt Lake City was meant to be a simple utopia. When Brigham Young’s pioneers arrived in 1847 on the bleak-but-broad valley floor at the base of the Wasatch Range to establish “god’s kingdom on earth,” they laid out a lavish city around their temple and headquarters — a grid with 10-acre blocks separated by generous four-lane boulevards. Their new Zion flourished, rapidly attracting farmers, gold miners and businessmen. Under their combined efforts, the city blossomed into an urban metropolis, the capitol of the state and home of the state university. A century and a half later, with visionary plans for expansion, Utah’s largest city is striving to maintain its reputation as a heaven on earth.

By the beginning of the 20th century, mining operations, downtown tanneries, flour and woolen mills and printing facilities were augmenting church operations and agriculture as the impetus for expansion. Mid-century, nearby military installations enhanced growth.

In December 1960, a group of prominent citizens banded together to promote a long-range master plan for downtown progress and growth. Their “Second Century Plan” saw the construction of Main Street Plaza, Salt Palace Convention Center, and the Federal building. It also spurred efforts to attract the 2002 Winter Olympics, a successful effort which brought retail development, a convention center, and improved highways along with an innovative TRAX light rail system.

The events of 9/11 and their aftermath exacerbated an anticipated lull in development following the Olympics, leading to a loss of 1,200 jobs in the central business district, but the tide is turning. Retail sales reached $2.1 billion in 2005. By the end of 2005, more than 600,000 square feet of new office space valued in excess of $150 million was under construction. Downtown housing has increased 80 percent in less than 10 years. Now, according to the Downtown Alliance’s Report on Economic Benchmarks, the central business district is on the threshold of impressive growth with investment projected to exceed $1.5 billion in the next five years.

A centerpiece of the pre-Olympic buildup was the Gateway Center, a $500 million two-story outdoor mall with restaurants and shops, built on the site of an old industrial brown-field adjacent to the Delta Center sports amphitheater. These popular sites attract dollars to the downtown area, but have caused a shift of the city center toward the west, leaving the traditional urban core and its period buildings in decline. A new incarnation of the “Second Century Plan” — regional in scope — aims to address the shift by revitalizing the historic downtown while sustaining the city’s role as the commercial and cultural center of the Wasatch Valley.

Utah’s high migration rate, combined with the fact that it boasts the world’s highest birthrate, adds 100,000 residents per year to a state where 1.7 million of its people are concentrated in the 15-mile-wide strip of the intermountain valley that stretches 100 miles from Provo to Ogden — a metropolitan area the size of Philadelphia. Centrally located in this thriving district, Salt Lake City’s aim is to lead the entire alley by maximizing the potential of the capital city and its environs as an all-encompassing residential and commercial region.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints remains a force, holding half of the downtown retail and manufacturing area and a quarter of the rental units and office space. It is now in the midst of spending half a billion dollars to overhaul land adjacent to its Temple Square campus. Three department stores and 700 to 900 residential units will take shape during the remodeling of Crossroads Plaza and the ZCMI Center, a Mormon co-op and one of America’s original department stores.

Following the success of the city’s Downtown Alliance “Live It Up Downtown” promotional programs and activities at its new state-of-theart, 240,000-square-foot public library, plans are developing fo r an expanded downtown cultural and entertainment complex. Centered around renovation of the historic Utah Theater, this cultural area would encompass performance venues, a children’s museum and science center.

Travelers are discovering that the region is “more than just a desert,” according to Mark Bennett of the local convention and visitors’ bureau. Tourism is growing as visitors flock to the state capital’s restaurants, LDS Temple Square, museums and arts events — all within 10 minutes of a major airport.

A recreational nirvana, Salt Lake City is said to have one of America’s best outdoor environments. That’s a fact borne out by the statistic that sporting goods sales are up 350 percent since 2000. Fitness is an easy option with downtown Olympic-sized pools, nearby bicycle and hiking trails and golf courses, and a dozen renowned ski resorts including Alta, Park City, Deer Valley and Snowbird within an hour’s drive. As Salt Lake residents like to boast, this is a place where you can bicycle on a desert trail before work, leave the office midday, ski, and be back in time to play a round of golf before catching the tram downtown to enjoy a gourmet meal followed by a world-class opera or ballet performance.

A place like Salt Lake City is just about the closest thing to paradise on earth.

LODGING

THE GRAND AMERICA HOTEL

Traditionalists find all the indulgences of a luxe European establishment in the 800 rooms of this contemporary re-creation of a grand European hotel. Richly furnished with cherry wood, wool carpets and Murano chandeliers, standard guestrooms average 700 square feet. Balconies take in mountain views. Marble bathrooms are stocked with amenities by Gilchrist & Soames of London. A full service spa, outdoor pool in the garden, afternoon tea in the lobby and dining in the Garden Café are among the delights of this classic hotel. Across the street, the adjunct Little America Hotel is a comfortable, more modest alternative. $$$$
THE GRAND AMERICA HOTEL
555 South Main St.
tel 801 258 6000, fax 801 258 6911
www.grandamerica.com

HOTEL MONACO

Located downtown, this popular hotel greets visitors with an eclectic mix of cornices and cartouches. A central daybed swathed in organdy with tiger-print pillows graces the lobby warmed by the merry glow of a gas fireplace. Guests are invited to attend a daily manager’s cocktail reception (5 p.m.-6 p.m.) and may choose to borrow a bowl of goldfish to keep them company during their stay. $$$
HOTEL MONACO
15 W. 200 South
tel 801 595 0000, fax 801 532 8500
www.hotelmonaco.com

INN ON THE HILL

The turn of the 20th century Woodruff-Riter Renaissance Revival Mansion with its original oak wainscoting and stained glass decor has been converted into a comfortable inn. Fourteen rooms named for local sites — Bryce Canyon, Saltair — are equipped with dataports. Giant bathtubs are a plus. The banana pecan baked French toast is a popular choice for breakfast, but nothing measures up to the extraordinary view out over the city from the elevated front porch. $$
INN ON THE HILL
225 North State St.
tel 801 328 1466, fax 801 328 0590
www.inn-on-the-hill.com

DINING

CUCINA TOSCANA

Transplanted New York City maitre d’ Walter Nassi is the gregarious tablehopping host at this friendly, casual restaurant located in a renovated Firestone Tire shop. The open kitchen lets you watch the chefs preparing appealing new takes on classic Italian fare: creamy olive oil infused with vinegar and lemon for bread dipping, paper-thin spinach and ricotta ravioli, a salad of sauteed mushrooms served on a bed of spinach with goat cheese and mascarpone cream. Even the tiramisu has a twist, flavored orange with marmalade. $$
CUCINA TOSCANA
307 W. Pierpont Ave.
tel 801 328 3463

METROPOLITAN

The walls are cement blocks painted a warm ochre; the amoeba-shaped settees are upholstered in velvet; and everything is curvy and cozy in this sophisticated storefront cafe popular for its inventive Asian-fusion to Rocky Mountain cuisine. Diver scallops are served with lentils, lardoon, pear, radiccio and sherry; curried cauliflower and toasted cumin yogurt accompany the Arctic char. $$$
METROPOLITAN
173 W. Broadway
tel 801 364 3472
www.themetropolitan.com

BAMBARA

Swirly banquettes and a wraparound bar are features of this comfortable converted bank with twostory windows framing downtown views.Try hazelnut-dusted calamari with ancho chili-tomato sauce; proceed to blackened Idaho rainbow red trout with Cajun dirty rice; and wind up Chef Robert Barker’s creative repast with a lavender poached pear and phylo napoleon. $$$
BAMBARA
202 S. Main St.
tel 801 363 5454
www.bambara-slc.com

DIVERSIONS

Although the open sale of alcohol is restricted, clubs all over the city charge about $5 for temporary “memberships” allowing them to sell drinks. In other words, liquor is sold at nightspots all over town. This season’s favorite is the new Depot (400 W. South Temple, tel 801 456 2800, www.depotslc.com) where a “rock and roll country club” incorporates the Butterfly Dining Room on the main floor, a set of private club rooms on the second floor, and an open music room where acts as diverse as Isaac Hayes, Victor Wooten, and Buckwheat Zydeco perform.

Squatters (147 W. Broadway, tel 801 363 2739, www.squatters.com) is a convivial microbrewery where patrons imbibe among the beer vats and open kettles. At Bayou (645 S. State St., tel 801 961 8400, www.utahbayou.com), the membership-only Beervana offers more than 200 different brands of beer and ale from India, Belgium, Germany,Vietnam. At the Red Door (57 W. 200 South, tel 801 36 6030, www.behindthereddoor.com), the specialty is martinis dubbed High Octane, Mescalini, Decadent, Snooters, Classic, and the Chocolate and Cocaine Lady. NCAA, NHL and NBA games are broadcast on screens at Port O’Call (78 W. 400 South, tel 801 521 0589, www.portocall.com) or patrons can try to stump the dueling piano performers at the Tavernacle Social Club (201 East 300 South, tel 801 519 8900, www.tavernacle.com).

At Home with Salt Lake City Mayor Ross C. ‘Rocky’ Anderson

In office since January 2000, Mayor Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson is a University of Utah graduate with a law degree from George Washington University. A specialist in civil litigation, he served on several community-based nonprofit boards.

Global Traveler: You describe the city as being in the midst of a renaissance. What accounts for that?
Ross C. Anderson: We have more people living downtown, more building of residential units and more offices filled than ever before. I think we’re creating the sort of welcoming downtown that communities all over the nation had before suburbanization. Cities made the mistake of trying to duplicate what was drawing people to the suburbs — enclosed downtown malls with huge parking spaces.We’re offering the authentic city with public gathering places and mixed uses.

GT: Salt Lake City is the smallest city in the nation with a light rail system. What makes you feel that mass transit plays a leading role in revitalization?
RCA: There was heated opposition — very heated — with people saying nobody — nobody — will give up cars or ride it. But we installed a nice comprehensive mass transit that makes it very easy to get around, and we demonstrated that once you overcome the opposition and put in a system that is convenient and inexpensive, people use it. The (number of) people riding our system far exceed the most optimistic projections.

Now we’re headed for a transit system that will tie in the whole Wasatch front. The intermodel hub here in Salt Lake City will be a commuter center for expanded light rail, commuter rail, taxis, buses — both local and Greyhound — and Amtrak. And there will be spaces for bicycles as well.

GT: The Second Century planners wanted Salt Lake City to become a “pedestrian paradise.” Under your leadership it has been cited as most improved in the country for pedestrian safety, what led to this?
RCA: It’s a challenge when the city fathers designed the blocks so long and the streets so wide — so many people try to cross in the middle. I happened to witness a man hit in a pedestrian crosswalk and I pledged to do everything I could to make our streets safer for walkers.We installed pedestrian-activated overhead lights and pavement-level crosswalk lights. You punch a button and they light up. There are red flags pedestrians can carry as they walk across the street, then deposit them on the other side. We’re also trying to calm our streets through design and law enforcement.

GT: Clean air, reducing greenhouse gases and pollutants, preserving the environment, and other green goals are central to your administration. What are you doing to achieve those aims?
RCA: We established an E2 Program — Environment and Economy. Now we’re expanding it to individual participation. Originally we signed up 38 local businesses who implemented conservation plans. Knowing businesses don’t do research on their own, we’d go in with a silver platter of information on lighting, recycling, water, transportation, then make recommendations for them.

Now we’re taking one it one step further under the principle that it takes government and business and individuals to help solve challenges. We’re making people aware of how much electricity they use; how they heat water and cool their homes; what kind of auto they buy; how close they live to where they work. Then we have a comprehensive list of specific things each person can do to reduce adverse environmental effects.We’re all going to be impacted severely because of global warming. A specific concern here is the negative impacts on the ski industry. A large part of our tourism is built on that sport, and we’re seeing a major threat to ski resorts worldwide.

GT: What is it like to co-exist with the Church?
RCA: We have an amazing history and tradition here in Salt Lake City, and we’re very proud this is the world headquarters for the Latter-Day Saints Church. There are religious divisions as you might imagine, but by and large we have so many great assets and opportunities to work together that I think we have tremendous unity as a community while observing the great value that diversity brings to the city.

GT: You came to Salt Lake City for college then went away to law school. What led you to return to live here?
RCA: I came back and lived in a cabin in Big Cottonwood Canyon. That sewed it up for me. The city is unique in offering all the big city amenities, arts and entertainment and institutions, yet you’re only a few minutes from hiking, camping and the greatest skiing on earth. You’re not spending half your life stuck in traffic. You can spend leisure hours actually doing what you love doing.

INFO TO GO

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is located about five miles northwest of Salt Lake City. The airport consists of two terminals, five concourses and 70 gates. Most major car rental companies have offices located on the ground floor across from the terminal buildings. Travel information is available from the ground transportation desks in the arrivals areas of both terminals. Taxis, limousines and vans are readily available. Greyhound and Utah Transit Authority provide bus service. Throughout the airport, passengers can access wireless Internet connections for free information about flights, weather, hotels and entertainment. Full access is offered on a fee basis. Complete information is available at log-in via the airport welcome page.